For English golf fans, Aaron Rai provides a certain endearment. His steady performances on the course combine with his panache golfing inventory to create an undeniable attachment between those who love the game and the Wolverhampton boy.
Whilst known predominantly for wearing two gloves and using headcovers for his irons, the 30-year-old has a game to match his bold style. Now a regular sight at the top of many a PGA leaderboard, Rai has proven his worth competing against the crème de la crème. Albeit having experienced success on both the PGA and DP World Tour, there is still much to accomplish for Rai, whose most recent triumph came at the 2024 Wyndham Championship.
The majority of the coverage on Rai understandably earmarks his idiosyncrasies. He is, after all, largely known for the unique treatment of his paraphernalia. But with or without these quirks, there is no denying that Rai possesses a control of the golf ball that makes him a threat at any competition that he plays in.
This is Aaron Rai: Journey to Pro.
Early life + Introduction to Golf
- Born in Wolverhampton, 1995
- Started visiting golf complexes at 4 years old, sparking an early love of the game
- Earlier that year, Rai was injured by his brother’s hockey stick. His mum went out to buy him plastic golf clubs as an alternative to the dangerous hockey stick
- His Mother and Father had immigrated to England from Kenya
- Although not having played the game, their love of golf was a huge factor in Rai’s introduction to the sport, and his father soon replaced his plastic clubs with a proper junior set
- Rai’s father was a community worker, but played tennis leisurely. Along with extensive reading on the game of golf, he helped coach his son, teaching him the rules and etiquette of the game
- He also leaned on Shaun Ball, who coached Rai at a par-3 course near Wolverhampton
- When he turned 12, Rai started working with Andy Proudman and Piers Ward, two PGA professionals famed for their coaching on the ‘Meandmygolf‘ YouTube channel. Proudman and Ward have continued to coach Rai throughout his career
- At the age of 4, Rai won the net division in an under-12s golf competition, finishing second gross
- Rai’s dad quickly taught him the value of looking after his golf clubs – cleaning the grooves after every round
- Together, the father and son played throughout the year, working on Aaron’s new game
- Rai’s early life played a huge part in shaping his eccentricities that we see today…
Why does Aaron Rai wear two gloves and cover his irons?
- Rai is one of a few golfers on tour to cover his irons
- Currently playing with TaylorMade P7TW irons, Rai has always used headcovers on all of his clubs – a habit instilled in him by his father
- At the age of 7, Rai’s father brought him a set of Titleist 690 MBs
- Due to the significant expense of the set, Rai’s dad would clean each club with a pin and baby oil after each round
- Not long into playing with these new clubs, Rai’s father invested in headcovers for his son’s irons
Rai has continued to use these headcovers all throughout his playing career, “To look after the clubs, and teach me the value of respecting what I had, and how much sacrifice he (Aaron’s dad) made to buy me those clubs in the first place.”
- The 30-year-old is the only player on tour to use a pink castle tee, adding to the list of his eccentricities, whilst reflecting his confidence and independence in such a vast field.
- Rai is also well known for his unique dual-glove grip, another trait stemming from his father’s dedication to his golf
- With his new irons (at 7 years old), Rai was keen to practice with his dad all year round, come rain or shine.
- As any winter golfer can attest, an icy climate can quickly numb your hands, negatively affecting your grip as a result
- To counter this problem during the winter, Rai’s father brought him two gloves to wear, to keep both his hands warm, so that he could adopt a proper grip
- As the seasons changed and summer arrived, Rai quickly went back to the customary one-glove but began to struggle with his game, failing to adapt to this new grip
- Diagnosing the problem himself, Rai switched back to a permanent dual-glove grip – an instantly successful move, and one that helped him reach professional status.
Early professional career
- Having been sponsored fully by Shabir Randeree, Rai became an incredibly versatile golfer, playing a variety of courses that required different games throughout his teenage years
- At 17 years old, Rai turned professional
- Retrospectively, he has since admitted that he entered the professional arena prematurely
- Beginning his career on the EuroPro tour, the then-teenager missed the first four cuts
- For two consecutive years, Rai lost his pro card at the end of the season, only to win it back at Q-school each time
- He eventually graduated to the Challenge Tour in 2016, after a top-5 finish at the EuroPro tour’s order of merit
- 3 wins in the 2017 season saw Rai’s immediate promotion to the European Tour, where he began to experience tangible success
Professional Highlights
- Rai’s performances in 2020 started to show his prowess and competitive edge
- A playoff victory against Tommy Fleetwood at the 2020 Scottish Open began an admirable run of form and lifted him into the top 100 for the first time
- A T2 finish during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in 2021 was enough to secure Rai’s PGA Tour card for the first time
- Five top-10 finishes, 14 cuts in a row, and a victory on the PGA Tour (2024 Wyndham Championship) are all evidence to suggest that Aaron Rai has the game to compete with the best players on the tour
Currently sitting at 30th in the World Rankings, Rai has experienced a winless but respectable 2025. In 21 events on the PGA Tour this year, he has missed four cuts, with two top-5 finishes.
Consistent performances at the majors, with finishes of T27 (at the Masters), T19 (at the PGA Championship), T33 (at the US Open), and T34 (at The Open), indicate a middling year to be content with.
With two more DP World Tour events left to close out the season, Rai will have to compete against the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood if he is to take a victory out of 2025.
Having worked tirelessly since the age of four, being raised to respect and appreciate everything that comes with the game of golf, there is no doubt that Rai will be craving greater success in the 2026 season. As endearing as he is to follow, now entering his 14th year in professional golf, expectations will undoubtedly rise for the Wolverhampton man.
